


Redemption of a Seamonster

by ShallWeSingInPopSense



Series: Redemption [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #little bit of swearing, Aged Up, Angst, Casual stabby boi, My hand slipped added too much depresso to this expresso, Neither of these things are romance, Other, Pirate AU, Polish Nathaniel, Slowburn enemies to people who tolerate each other, Slowburn sea monster to human, Violence, chole is a bitch, mer!Nathaniel, mermaid au, vampiric mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-06-07 11:56:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15218639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShallWeSingInPopSense/pseuds/ShallWeSingInPopSense
Summary: Mermaids, or rather in this case, mermen, generally catch a good price on the market if only one can be brave enough to catch one. And the sale of a vicious and blood-thirsty sea monster is unlikely to have any moral qualms either, especially if you are a well renowned pirate like Chloé Bourgeois.However, sometimes sea monsters aren’t all they seem.This is part of the Miraculous creatures universe, but set in 1700s





	1. An introduction to a sea monster

 

There, flapping and writhing on the deck was a mermaid.

Its long fish tail twitched in the fishing net as it struggled, strong arms pressed up between the constraining rope and a very muscular bare chest. A flat bare chest.

Not a mermaid, Chole corrected herself, a merman.

Well well, what a catch. Males were even rarer than their female counterparts, which in themselves were as unlikely to be caught as flying bears, and twice as likely to rip your face off. Which she supposed was to be expected considering they literally consumed human blood. Despite being viscous beasts, they were worth their weight in gold if caught.

She drew her sword.

 “Secure it.” she ordered, turning to her first mate, Kim.

The merman gave another ineffective flop, only succeeding in looping yet another portion of the net onto the blunt hooked spines running along the side of his deep blue tail. The sea monster paused its struggles to glare up at her, eyes narrowed with hate.

“Let me **go!”** the merman’s voice was deep and smooth, but the last note jarred something within Chloe’s soul. Around her, her crewmates seemed to slow, dopey smiles forming on faces.

**“Let me GO!”** the merman repeated.

A glamour, Chloe realised. His voice was somehow controlling her crew. She had only heard of their magic in legends, but it seemed now to be very real. No one seemed to react as the merman clumsily wriggled towards the edge of the ship. Strangely, her own mind was unclouded.

Chloe sprang forward, pressing her blade to his throat.                                          

“Speak or move again and I will kill you.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed against her blade, and Chloe could see that he was doing a poor job of concealing his fear. He glared at her, large cerulean eyes framed with strands of deep red hair. She glared right back, and he quickly broke eye contact.

Around her, there were murmurs of surprise tinged with fear as her crewmates snapped out of their stupor. Kim sprang to her side, sword already drawn.

“Sabrina,” Chloe stated calmly, her eyes never leaving the merman, “go find something to gag him.” Her quartermaster rushed off to fulfil her captain’s order. “Max, Alix, and Ivan, see if you can find a tub to contain our new guest. We will be at port in Bordeaux next week,” she watched coldly as the merman gulped, “I am sure a live merman will catch a good price.”

                                                                                                 ***

They had eventually managed to wrangle the merman into her cabin, which, unfortunately, was the only room large enough in the ship where he was kept away from people who could be affected by his glamour.

He had put up less of a fight than she had expected, accepting the gag after a couple of painful prompts, and a few jabs with her rapier had kept him from struggling too much as they had lifted him. He had bucked only once as they carried him below deck, craning his neck to catch one last glimpse of the ocean.

Chloe had been taken aback by the humanness of the action. It was little wonder so many hapless sailors fell victim to the mer’s imitation of human charm. Chloe would not make the same mistake.

Currently, the merman had had submerged himself in the bottom of the tub with gills extended, still trussed in the net and gagged, leaving a sizable length of tail dangling over the edge of the cramped space. Around the tub were Kim and Sabrina, her first mate and quartermaster, and Max, the ship’s doctor and general know-it-all.

Together they were to decide the mer’s fate.

“I say it’s too dangerous. We don’t know enough about mer to pull this off. He has already got us all with a glamour already, and for all we know he could do other stuff as well.” Kim folded his arms, “There is a reason why the mer are known as the ‘angel face sea-demons’. It may look harmless, but if we kill it we know for sure it is harmless.” Kim reached up nervously to his neck to hold onto a blue-and-green lucky charm popular with superstitious sailors. “And the sooner we do so, the better.”

Max gingerly felt the fish-like membrane of a tail fin, each lobe of which was as large as a man’s torso.

“Incredible.” he muttered, running his hand along the ridged edges. The mer flicked the fin out of his hands, and Max stood back swiftly as he flailed his tail in protest.

“Max, what do you think?” Chloe asked, rousing the man from his visual assessment of the creature before him.

“Oh… ah… I don’t know as much about the mer as I would like, but I believe that their scales and skin can be sold for good prices in the Mediterranean medicine market.” He glanced guiltily down at the sea monster. “However, their saliva reportedly has healing properties, and their venom can be distilled to create a very desirable and expensive recreational drug. They are, therefore, worth far more alive than dead.” He pushed his glasses further up his nose, “We must assess the threats as we proceed, but at the moment, it certainly seems most profitable to keep him alive.”

“I don’t really see how it could escape anyway, considering its tail is basically four and a half foot of uselessness on land.” Sabrina piped up, “And if the numbers add up, I am with Max on this one.”

“You’re all mad” Kim gestured wildly, “The money is nice, but not if it kills someone, especially if it is sharing a room with the captain.”

“He does seem like a bit of a coward to be honest,” Chloe pronounced, a calculating edge to her voice. “And there is no way he can get far out of that tub with that tail, and if he did we would just kill him. We managed to get him here after all.” She casually picked some imaginary lint from the cuff of her honey-yellow Admiral’s long coat, watching the merman surreptitiously straining at his bonds. She let him waste his energy.

“They literally drink human blood. If It has lived this long, then It must have killed humans before,” Kim raised his eyebrows. “For that matter, we have a weeks voyage until Bordeaux, what are you going to feed It?”

“We will work something out.”

It would be difficult, but by God would it be worth the prize of the glory. Chole Bougious would surely be regarded as the greatest pirate in the Bay of Biscay, her name spoken in awe. Her face twisted into a self-satisfied grin.

She looked down at the merman, submerged and anxious at the bottom of the tub.

“Congratulations fishboy. Looks like you get to live another day.” His expression did not change, “But remember, there is a distinct difference between alive and unhurt, so try any shit, or just annoy me too much, and I will cut you.” She gave a jaunty smile, but let the coldness remain in her eyes, “Got it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But hey stabbing counts as character development right? This is turning out to be darker than I intended… Oops.  
> Also Nathaniel is about 7ft in length, as his tail is longer than human legs, plus a further ½ ft of fin blade. Its reasonably inconsequential, but just he really does not fit in that tub very well. And he is fucking ripped. Swimming is good exercise kids.
> 
> I would face a merman's wrath for comments ;)


	2. Merman in a tub

Max fussed around the tub excitedly, and Chloe regarded him with suppressed amusement, and the merman with  flashes of nervousness and growling She had dismissed the rest of the advisors, but the doctor had stayed to take the necessary measurements for atomically accurate drawings for a potential buyer.

The merman’s cerulean eyes never left Max as he poked and prodded, but he did not writhe and struggle as Chloe had expected. She was glad she wouldn’t have to get her rapier wet.

“Injuries are minimal.” the doctor muttered, pressing his fingers to the skin around a large graze of bubbling red-brown blood the merman had gained in his ill-fated writhe to freedom. The merman bucked, and Max removed his hand hastily.

“Sorry.” Max apologised, and the merman settled again swiftly.

“Don’t apologise to it,” Chloe scolded the doctor, “It’s a sea monster.” The merman flicked his tail in irritation, though the movement was still constrained by the net. “How long are you going to take anyway?”

“Nearly done.” Max stuck his hand in the water, searching for a wrist in the tangles of net. The mer growled at the intrusion, but Max ignored him “His skin is warm! Fascinating! I always wondered whether mer were cold blooded like fish, or warm blooded like us.” Max found what he was looking for, “And he has a pulse! That disproves the theory that the mer are undead!”

A large bubble issued from the mer’s mouth, and a distorted sound like a huff of laughter.

“See, even the sea monster is laughing at your nerdiness Max.”

The merman’s tail fidgeted as Max took his pulse.

“Done,” Max flicked the water from his hand. “Though the pulse was higher than expected. Maybe I will try again if he ever calms down.” The doctor stepped away from the tub. “You may wish to replace the net with something more suitable though. It is likely to be a week until we make port. And I do have some questions to ask him if I may.”

“Fine.” Chloe stomped over to the tub. “You know the drill, mess up and try to glamour Max and you get stabbed.” She addressed the mer. He glowered at her, and she rolled her eyes dramatically before reaching down, dagger in hand to cut the net constraining him. He was indeed warm, and his smooth muscle twitched beneath her hand as she worked on the rope. He did not dare move until the final rope had been cut and Chloe stepped away from the tub.

With a flurry of movement he freed his arms from the remains of the net and tore off the gag, wedging himself upright in the corner of the tub. His pale-blue eyes glared at them. Chloe gave her best bitch-for-captain smile, and Max suppressed a shudder.

“You should let me go.” The merman’s voice was low “What your jacked-up muscle said was right; I do have extra powers. Everyone knows mer can call up storms if they so wish, so if you don’t let me go I… I will sink the ship!” There was a tremor in his voice. Chloe raised a perfect eyebrow.

“If that is true, why would you tell me? Wouldn’t you just do it and swim out of the wreckage?” The merman sank lower in the water. “That’s what I thought,” she chided, “Now shut up before I hurt you.”

“You aren’t a very nice person.” he said softly.

“Well you eat people, so forgive me if I don’t take your opinion on what is ‘nice’ very seriously.” Chloe tapped her rapier against her boot in a distracted rhythm. The mer’s eyes followed the swaying tip. “Max, you said you have questions.”

“May I have some venom?” Max asked, “It is meant to have the most unusual properties.”

“Sure. Come over here and I will give you some venom.” The merman glowered.

Max was not deterred.

“Can I examine your gills?”

“Put your hand anywhere near my face…” the merman growled out.

“Now now,” Chloe chided, “You will be staying here a couple of days, so I expect you to stay civil.” She casually swiped her sword in little circles around her ankles. The mer’s gaze returned nervously to the flashing silver.

“Why can’t you glamour Chloe?”

“I don’t know.” the mer’s eyes slid away and he would not look at them. Max hummed sceptically. The merman jerked his tail, splashing water at the ship’s doctor.

“Max, stop pissing off the 7ft sea monster before he ruins my clothes.”

“Sorry captain.” Max took an extra step away from the tub. “One last question then; what do you eat?”

“Human blood.” the merman raised his eyebrows. “It is pretty consistent in the legends.”

 “Can’t you drink the blood of any mammal?” Max asked.

“No. I need a human soul for it to be of any real sustenance value.”

“Souls,” Chloe huffed, “that’s ripe coming from you ginge.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Lend me your pretty quartermaster and I will prove that superstition wrong,” his voice was low with an edge of hate, “I think I would get food-poisoning from the blackness of your soul.”

“Right then.” Chloe sheathed her rapier and took a hold of Max’s arm. “I hope you can make it until port and…” she gave a malicious smile, “…that your new owners will feed you.” And with that she strode from the room.

As she closed the door she could hear his frustrated growl over the sound of vigorous sloshing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #Chloe is a bonafide bitch  
> Anyone who makes a ginger joke is automatically the villain XD


	3. Freedom, I love and understand ~ first afternoon

After a long day on the ship, Chloe was only slightly apprehensive of returning to her cabin where she knew the sea monster dwelled in his tub of anxiety.  
She would face it though.  
She would not be cowed by this pathetic creature. She had been brought up better than to pity those beneath her. Much like a stately lady, a pirate was stalwart in their convictions, and ruthless in the execution of their will. Though with pirates that was more frequently with swords than gossip, Chloe was well versed in both.  
Chloe purposely put some extra confidence in her stride as she walked through the corridors of the ship till she reached the door of her cabin, reaching for her key, only to pause as she heard a soft noise.  
Inside, she could hear a gentle melody. She pressed her ear to the door, listening.  
A deep and sorrowful voice sang softly, slightly distorted by water.  
“I demand so little,  
I desire so little,  
I have seen so little,  
I will see so little.”  
His voice was rich and sombre, and Chloe closed her eyes as she listened. He sang in a Slavic language, and something deep within her ached to understand the lyrics, to know how such soft longing could be put into words. But alas, the words were foreign to her.  
“I had so little,  
I have so little,  
I can lose everything,  
I can stay alone.”  
The haunting melody touched something deep, despite her inability to understand the song.  
Her fingers reached up to clasp a small bee-shaped lucky charm that hung around her neck.  
She knew that pretty much all sailors carried a blue-green seafarers’ charm that was supposedly meant to endear them to the spirits of the sea to calm storms and ensure a safe voyage. She had never been superstitious, and so instead had chosen a charm based on what she wished to be. The seafarer’s charm was one of protection and fear. Her bee seven-winds charm was one of freedom, no matter the circumstance.  
The smooth croon of the ballad contained a profound beauty in its longing.   
She wondered where a creature like him had heard it.  
“Freedom, I love and understand,  
I just can’t give up…” the singing voice thickened to the point he could barely get the notes out  
“…my freedom.”   
There was silence as the final note faded. Not even a single splash.  
For the first time in her life, Chloe baulked from the door, choosing instead to walk back on deck than face the creature mourning his loss of freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is actually a really interesting character to write when she is a total bitch  
> MerNathanial is Polish, cos they used to have a lot of Jews, and a reasonable number of redheads. And also the design on his t-shirt is reminiscent of a Slavic Lunula symbol…  
> I know it is a bit song fic-y, but I adore this song for its longing and defiance.  
> Check out this link to the song ‘Kocham wolność’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1YbhC5spzE&t=0s&list=PLp-ZXxSwda7Fjl9l1jFoelgLnHcQxbqQL&index=5
> 
> I would also thoroughly recommend Jaskółka uwięziona, also by Allegro


	4. To sleep ~ first evening

It was her first night sleeping with a sea monster in the corner of the cabin.

He had submerged himself to avoid her as she had readied herself for bed. She would feel scorn for such a pathetic beast, but honestly it was easier if she didn’t have to speak to him. Putting out her candle, she slipped into bed. Through the darkened room, she heard the soft swish of water and gentle breathing as he resurfaced.

“Goodnight merbeast,” she spoke into the darkness, “And remember; Be bad, get stab.”

“That’s not very good grammar,” came the muttered reply.

She was just getting comfortable as a soft splashing sounded.

She opened her eyes and could see from the light of the near full moon that he was turned towards her, hands up on the rim of the tub. His long tail was struggling to fit itself underwater.

She felt irritation rise.

The splashing continued for at least the next ten minutes, and Chloe could feel his gaze on her.

She lay still for another few minutes, hoping against hopes that if she didn’t react he would stop trying to get a rise out of her. He didn’t.

“My god will you SHUT UP AND JUST SLEEP for god’s sake,” she sat up abruptly, her blankets falling around her, “Can you not just sleep at night like a normal goddamn human being?”

The merman flicked his tail, showering the floor with droplets.

“Not a human,” he muttered in a small voice.

“I bloody well know that. But even the mer sleep right?” Chloe was aware of the tinge of sleep deprived madness in her voice. “Right?”

“I can’t sleep while there are humans around,” the merman sounded contemplative. “We are kind of like…snakes… sleep for long periods of time, then go to hunt. Helps save energy. But it means we don’t sleep when we need…ah… sustenance.” He draped himself over the edge of the tub, “You could always let me go. Then you could sleep.”

“Not happening fish boy.”

“Ok. Then give me some of your blood. Then I can sleep too.”

“Also not happening. How about you shut up and I don’t hurt you.” Chloe retorted testily. She leapt out of bed, advancing menacingly on the merman.

“Fine, fine.” he held up his arms in a placating gesture. Instead, she walked to the bottom of her bed to drag her dressing screen across her bed to block out his ever-watching eyes.

Chloe sank back into her pillows. Despite the screen she could still feel him staring at her, but at least he was silent. She started to drift off again.

Splash!

Her eyes snapped open. Don’t react, she reminded herself. He was silent again. She felt sleep overtake her once more.

Splash!

It was going to be a long night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #relatable.  
> You can probably tell, but I am a bit of an insomniac writing this.  
> I really want Nath to remain in character, but to be defiant in any way he can. And he is actually a really anxious character in canon, but is one of the most defiant Akuma.  
> I humbly acknowledge that "be bad get stab" is one of the worst lines ever written.  
> But yeah its like the Russian sleep experiment in here.  
> Not quite to the darker side. Yet.
> 
> (sorry for missing a day! I was being a #realadult for the evening. Glad to be back with the mermaids.)


	5. Charming ~ second morning

The merman was at the bottom of the basin as she looked over.

“Hey.”

The merman did not open his eyes.

“I know your awake cos you said that you literally can’t sleep when I am around, so don’t even try to pretend to be asleep.”

He opened his eyes.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t ignore you.” his voice was vaguely muffled by the water, but his enunciation was clear, unlike the garbled noises of human speech underwater. Magic.

For the first time, she studied him properly.

Despite his upper body looking perfectly human while above water, while underwater, gills sprouted from his neck, and spiny lobed fins protruded from the sides of his arms that inexplicably disappeared when he was not submerged. Around his waist there was slung a kilt-like piece of dusky orange fabric held up by a thick leather belt with a money pouch and sheathed dagger.

The merman cleared his throat awkwardly, and Chloe snapped out of her visual assessment.

“Give me your dagger.” she held out her hand sternly.

The merman hesitated for a moment, but did as he was told.  

“You know if I was going to kill you there would be far better ways for me to do it than with a dagger.” he sulked.

“Like what? Splash me to death?” she sneered, “You can’t glamour me.”

“There are ways.” He replied cryptically. Chloe didn’t even bother calling his bluff.

“Yeah well, try any of those other ways and you will be finding your scales on the Mediterranean medicine market faster than you can say ‘sea monster with an attitude problem’ merbeast.” she retorted.

The merman frowned, taken aback, his fingers tangling in his kilt, as she secured his dagger in the chest beside her bed.

“How can you be such an unholy bitch?”

“Practice mainly,” she smirked, “Now it comes effortlessly.”

Instead of turning away in disgust as she expected, the merman’s gaze softened, and then turned uneasy, before he submerged himself to avoid her. His expression was like that of sympathy. It grated her.

“Hey, I am not done talking yet” she growled, trying to re-establish control of the situation.

“What do you want to talk about, or is it just to remind me repeatedly that you are a total bitch and are going to kill me any time soon?” the merman glared from the bottom of his tub, arms folded underwater.

“Do you know anything about this?” She asked, pulling on the chain of her bee-shaped seven-winds charm.  “They are meant to be magic you know. Blessed by some nature spirit or other.” Maybe a magical creature would know more about her charm.

The merman shifted in his tub, keeping his face neutral.

“No comment.”

She cocked her head, calculating.

“That means they are right? You would dispute it otherwise…” Chloe’s tone was flippant, “Though even if it was true, there’s no use for the information, so you may as well tell me…”

He regarded her carefully, leaning back up out of the water, and Chloe struggled to keep her expression neutral under his scrutiny. There was no need for him to know her fascination with the lucky charm. No need for him to know the tears she had shed over the little bee in the nights after her mother had left, the way she had clutched the necklace as if it were the only anchor left in the world. And surely if the ceramic bee had somehow been imbued with a fragment of a nature spirit, then someone had surely heard her cries, and the cutting of her binds to that life had been validated by the spirit of air and freedom itself.

“So, your seven winds charm…where did you get it?” the merman asked casually.

“Why do you want to know?” she narrowed her eyes at him, clasping the little charm.

He shrugged.

“It is uncommon for a sailor to wear such a charm, why not a seafarer’s charm? Keep the sea spirits on your side, and it would go beautifully with your eyes.” There was a hint of flattery in his voice, and Chloe drew back from the tub, suspicious. Never trust a flirtatious man; they were nearly always after something. She wondered what interest he could have in the seven-wind charm. She forced herself to let go of the necklace and feign nonchalance.

“I just liked the colour.” She lied. She drew her dagger, casually cleaning the dirt from under her fingernails.

“It can say a lot about a person, the charm they choose,” The merman regarded her, “It is foolishness to choose a charm based on aesthetics alone.” His eyes narrowed and he seemed to look right through her, “You are many things, but you are no fool.”

She held is gaze for a moment.

“Fine.” She took a breath, “Well it’s like, the seafarer’s charm is all about safety and all that crap right? The seven winds is more about… freedom.” she turned away from the tub, “As a kid that was all I wanted, freedom from expectations an responsibility and all that societal rubbish that weighs you down.” She cleared her throat awkwardly, “Anyway we may be on the sea, but it is the wind that rules the ship. It makes perfect sense for a sailor to have one.”

“Freedom. I see.” The merman had a slight frown tugging his lips. His eyes never left the charm resting on her neck.

He licked his lips.

“May I see it?” he asked, “I have never seen a bee charm up close.”

She drew back from the tub.

“Why are you so interested?” she asked.

“I’m not” he answered, a tad too quickly. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

_He knew that he couldn’t allow the pirate, or indeed any human, to find out that a seven-winds charm conferred freedom from the glamour of merpeople. He supposed pursuing this line of questioning would not lead to his escape anyway._

“Tell me!” She glared at him suspiciously, before jabbing his tail with her dagger.

The merman flicked his tail into her side, batting her with enough strength to make her stumble, a look of indignation on his face.

“How is stabbing me meant to make me any more inclined to not find a way to kill you in your sleep!” he seethed.

Chloe indignantly brushed herself off, checking her coat had not been damaged by the sea monster’s swipe. She was not hurt, but she was definitely mad.

“Try that again merbeast and I WILL kill you!” Chloe stepped out of tail-range.

 “We were having a civilised conversation! Why do you have to stab people all the time you heathen!” he rubbed the scales where she had prodded him, checking his fingers to note that they were unmarred by burgandy blood. “Having a conversation with you is like playing chicken with a shark. Don’t you have a ship to run or anything?”

“I do, but as keeping you in line is now part of running a ship, I thought we should have a chat. Not like you have much else to do when you’re trapped in a tub.” Chole raised her own voice in response.

“I’d rather be bored than be in your company” the merman’s voice was low and tired.

“Well I have put up with your annoyance all night, so you can deal with mine for a while.”

A glint appeared in the sea monsters eye, and his tail wiggled like a cat waiting to pounce.

“Oh, I can be far more annoying than that!” he grinned.

“Oh god no…” Chloe started.

 “ _Little lark, sweet lark_ ” the opening strains of a popular French children’s song.

She growled and his eyes twinkled with mischief. She considered jabbing him again, but his tail was still swishing daringly.

“ _Lark, I will pluck your feathers off_.” The song was far more satanic when sung by a sea monster whose elongated canines flashed with every word.

“Get the fuck out.” she groaned.

“I would love to, but unfortunately I am trapped in a bathtub.” The merman paused his song long enough to reply and give a smug smile, satisfied that he had hit a nerve.

“ _I will pluck the feathers from your head._ ”

He may be a coward, but at least he was persistent.

After the 3rd verse, Chloe couldn’t stand it any longer. He may have been a good singer, but those caricatured pitch changes were not flattering for any voice, especially if purposely enhanced for maximum annoyance by a wildly grinning sea monster.

She fled onto deck.

It was strange; the more he tried to irritate her, the more human he became.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found this chapter really lacking in inspiration, so I hope its not too wooden. Both characters feel a bit bipolar atm, but they will level out.  
> So it is her bee charm that keeps Chloe safe from Nath’s glamour. Also in this universe, instead of blocking his crews ears with bee’s wax, Odysseus had a bee charm to keep him safe from the siren’s song


	6. Boredom ~ second evening

He watched. Always. Those cerulean eyes bored into the back of her head as she looked over her maps. She could feel them. And she did not like them.

“Can you stop staring at me,” she snapped without turning. “It gives me the creeps.”

She could hear the water slopping behind her as the man moved.

“I’m bored.” Chloe jumped as his voice came from right behind her. Turning, she saw that he had managed to balance on the rim of his tub, lithe upper body glistening as he leaned towards her.

“Get back in your tub or I swear to god…” Chloe started to draw her rapier, and the man sank back down into the water sheepishly.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” he flicked his tail uncomfortably.

“You didn’t startle me, you just…” Chloe tailed off. Show no weakness, that is what she had always been taught “…just stay in your tub and I can deliver a live merman at the end of this god-forsaken voyage.” A well-balanced threat, not too coarse, and shy merman would not threaten her authority again for a while. As predicted, the man rolled his eyes as his only act of defiance, before submerging himself out of her sight.

Chloe gave a huff of frustration, and internal sigh of relief, glad to be out of the gaze of the supernatural creature. The sooner she could get him off the boat the happier she would be. And the extra money and glory wouldn’t go amiss. Always remember the money and glory.

She turned back to her maps, carefully measuring the distance between their current location and the port they were headed. All was silent but for the scratching of instruments on parchment and the occasionally ‘plink’ of water dropping from the merman’s tail.

Then there came a strange noise from the tub, a kind of continuous bubbling sound. Chloe’s patience wore thin fast, and she stomped over to see what he was doing this time.

The merman blinked up innocently from the bottom of the basin as he blew bubbles underwater. Submerged, his red hair danced in the moving water, and his gills were extended, allowing him to exhale one continuous stream of pure irritation.

She glared at him, and he stopped blowing bubbles long enough to give a self-satisfied grin, the tips of his elongated canines just peeking over his lips.

Her glare could have evaporated water at that point. She dipped her hand in the water, intending to pull him up by the hair, but his grin widened in the split-second Chloe remembered what a mess of a human hand those teeth could make. Instead she jabbed the exposed length of blue tail hard enough to be felt though his thick scales.

“Are you hoping that if you annoy me enough I will let you go? Or do you really want to die!” she growled out.

“I’m bored.” He pouted underwater, and the tone of his voice was uncharacteristically playful, “And besides, death threats aren’t very effective if I know you want to sell me alive anyway.” She regarded him for a long and menacing moment.

“Fine. What do merpeople do to pass the time anyway?”

“Give me a map.”

“No. Maps are expensive. I am not giving you a map.” She turned back to the map table.

“Please? I promise to be quiet,” he leaned his forearms on the rim of the bath, back bending at an angle that would be impossible for a human.

“No.”

“I might even be quieter this evening if you do.” While she was unwilling to negotiate with her captive, the idea of a good night’s sleep was appealing.

“Fine. But…” she slammed a small table down next to the tub, “You are not to move it from this table. And do not get it wet or I swear to god you will pay.”

She selected an old and worn land map that she rarely used. If it got him to shut up it didn’t overly matter if it got wet. She pinned the corners down with a couple of old ships logs and a heavy inkwell.

The merman wiggled excitedly, waiting for her to finish before he surged over the small table, eyes raking over the spidery roads and cramped handwriting.

“The towns are so big nowadays, and there are so many roads…” there was a tone of reverence and he placed a finger on the map. “There must be so many people on the land.”

Chloe regarded him curiously.

He snapped his finger back, embarrassed.

Chloe turned back to her map table, her work now unhindered by the merman, who was now silent aside from occasional joyful murmurings in Polish.

When she turned back an hour later, she saw that he had shifted from scrutinising the map to idly flicking though her journals.

“I didn’t know you could read.”

The merman put an arm self-consciously behind his head.

“I can read.” he gave a strained laugh, “French, Polish and Hebrew, and a bit of German and Dutch. I’m older than I look, and you tend to pick stuff up over time, despite spending most of it sleeping.”

She let herself wonder for a moment, what kind of creature the man in the tub was.

The thing about monsters is, the more time you spend around them, the more human they seem. She saw him, writhing in a net, fangs bared, a possession to be sold, a bloodthirsty animal. Now the image was blurred with soft melodies of longing, and quietly poring over maps of places he had doubtless never seen. She was no longer sure if he was a monster.

Either way, he wasn’t here for long

He would never be safe for her to be around.

***

The rest of her route plotting was punctuated by sporadic comments by the merman as to the adventures written in her logbooks, surprisingly cumulating in an in-depth discussion on current art fashions, requiring Chloe to draw on information from her childhood she thought she had forgotten. It was surprisingly easy to chat to the sea monster, and he seemed genuinely interested in the land above the waves.

Their intermittent conversation stretched into the late evening, when the light had faded, and Chloe had snuffed out all of her candles aside from the one on the merman’s little table.

As she tried to sleep, she heard a delicate scratching. Sitting up silently to look around her dressing screen, she saw that he had picked up the pen from the heavy inkwell and was writing or drawing something in the old logbooks, his face was passive and peaceful, his enmanacled hand tucked up on the rim of the tub. She wondered if he had learned to write, wondered how he could have learned to write. The candlelight turned his red hair copper, and the flickering flame cast set his scales alight with sapphire brightness.

 Watching him, Chloe wondered what in the world could be put on paper to allow a sea monster to look so human.

As promised he was quiet that night, the soft scratch of pen on pages and the occasional completive hum the only noises until his candle ran low and sputtered into nothingness.

And yet she still could not sleep.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Chloe felt something warm in the pit of her stomach.

She squashed it down.

Maybe she could pretend it was something fleeting and pathetic. Something like love.

Even a small amount of peaceful conversation with merman had filled a void of loneliness that Chloe had held within her for so long. It was lonely being captain. It wasn’t as if she could fraternise with the crew, nor could she hire a captain’s companion as many merchants did. No. This feeling was merely a twisted side effect of his proximity and her years of self-isolation.

She could hear the faint scratch of ink-pen across paper.

How could have this creature, this pathetic, bloodthirsty, trapped and dangerous creature, have caused her to feel any shred of decency towards it. Fanged grins and cerulean glares. Poring over maps and shy tail flicks. Stuttering threats and soft apologies.

She wanted him to fight back so she could hate him and sell the sea monster to the highest bidder. She wanted to never hear the soft voice of young man as he lamented his captivity, never see the look of peace on his face as he scribbled in her notebook. She wanted to squash it down and fill herself with the fearful respect of her crew, the touch of her silk nightgown, the men who clambered to be dominated by her on nights out in the port. She wanted to bend to no force.

Pathetic, bloodthirsty, trapped and dangerous creature.

It was circumstances that made him so.

Pathetic, bloodthirsty, trapped and dangerous creature.

It was circumstances that made her so.

 


	7. Cold water ~ third morning

The merman was silent. It unnerved her.

He was no longer poring over the maps, and instead appeared to be submerged in his tub, long tail dangling over the edge. She would have presumed he was asleep if not for the fact he did not sleep. Even if it was only small noises, the merman was never this quiet.

Quietly, she tiptoed up to the tub, peeking down at him.

He was just below the water, transfixed by a small something he held in his hands, completely focused on gently caressing the object.

Chloe was curious.

As swift as a heron, her hand darted into the water, snatching the object from his fingers.

The merman shot out of the water with a screech, and Chloe stood back from the tub drawing her rapier automatically.

“Give that back!” he shouted, an edge of panic to his voice. He balanced himself on the edge of the tub, lifting his body out of the water, stretching his arm out as far as he could. Deep red blood welled where the rapier bit into to his shoulder, but he seemed unheeding of its presence.

Chloe shifted the object in her hand, bringing it up to the light.

It was a small circle of colourful enamel in greens and blues, with a pink eye at its centre. Chloe recognised it as a lucky charm that most sailors carried with them.

“It’s a seafarer’s charm,” she stated.

“Give that back!” he repeated, still straining over the edge of the tub.

“Why? You must have stolen it. Or does it remind you of a particularly good human you ate?”

“It’s mine.”

“I find that unlikely,” she prodded him again, and he slid back into the tub at an uncomfortable angle, the water sluicing over his tail. His upper body remained pressed to the long side of the tub, his eyes never leaving the little charm in her hand. “Why do you want it so much?”

The merman dropped his arm, batting against the side of the tub, and stared down at the floor.

“Do you know how the mer are made?” he asked, not meeting her eyes.

“I have heard various theories, but no one knows for sure,” Chloe idly flipped the charm in her hand, and lowered her sword, not yet sheathing it. “We just know you are vengeful bastards.”

He shifted in the tub, wetting his lips.

She feigned boredom, while inside she itched for the mer to spill his secrets.

When he did speak, his voice was low and emotionless.

“We were all human at some point. 96 years ago I was a cartographer named Nathaniel Kurtzberg aboard the Polish ship ‘The Black Swallow’.” He paused, eyes on the floor. “There is not always consistency between the creation of mer, but all include a violent death with a tie to the sea, love, and cold desire for revenge. That’s why so many are women.” Nathaniel gave a huff of humourless laughter. “No one can wish for revenge quite like a person who has had the man they loved killed in front of them, who have been murdered by their loved one, who have lost a love one and killed themselves in grief. And woman are too often the receivers of such fate, despite few being sailors such as yourself.”

His eyes snapped back to Chloe, who had ceased her flipping of the charm to listen intently to his spiel.

“Is that why you have a seafarer’s charm? Because you used to be a sailor?”

“I was a cartographer, not a sailor. It belonged to my lover. Which is why I would really like it back.”

Chloe stared down at the little charm with its eye of pink within swirls of blue and green.

“Your name is Nathaniel.” The merman blinked in surprise.

“Yes.”

“And you like maps because you were once a cartographer?”

“Yes.”

“How did you die?”

Nathaniel’s voice cracked, but she held up the charm. She didn’t know why she wanted to know so much, she just…just…had to possess the knowledge.

“Violently.” His cerulean eyes bored into her, filled with an age-old sorrow and the embers of an ancient anger. The hairs on Chloe’s neck rose. Thus far Nathaniel had largely been uncharacteristically placid for his race, but she could see the mer simmering below the surface now. “So I prayed to the gods of the sea that I could have my revenge.”

Chloe stared down at the little blue charm. To have a love so strong and a pain so great it shackled ones’ soul to the sea for nearly a century. It made her want to cling all the tighter to her solitude so that she may never be hurt, to pass gently with the breeze as her fickle heart wished. Her own seven-winds bee charm seemed to glow in her heart all the stronger.

Nathaniel gently extended his hand towards her.

“Can I have the charm now?” he asked softly.

Chloe handed it over wordlessly.

There was a beat of silence.

“Was that story true?” she asked.

“Perhaps,” the merman submerged himself, blue eyes disappearing under the water. “Perhaps not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is possibly my favourite, just for the ending line.  
> Not that I would condone extorting personal and painful memories from supernatural creatures.  
> And Chloe finally knows his name.  
> But yeah does this disprove Max’s theory that having a pulse disproves the theory the mer are undead?  
> And as a cartographer and a Jew in the 17th century, our man Nathaniel was probably an educated bean, and speaks and reads Polish, French Hebrew/Yiddish and possibly German and Dutch.


	8. Drawing ~ third evening

As she stepped into her cabin that evening, Nathaniel did not even acknowledge her entrance. For a moment she worried that he hated her after she made him spill the secret of his death. Quietly skirting the room, she saw he was leaning intently over the rim of his tub, absorbed in scribbling in a journal. Chloe remembered him doing the same last night. A lupine grin formed on her face as curiosity overtook her.

She stalked silently forwards.

“Good evening Nathaniel,” she whispered into his ear.

The merman yelped and tried to shut the journals arrayed on the small table, but Chloe was too fast, snatching up a small journal she had seen him drawing in the previous night.

“Why are you so nosy?” Nathaniel whined. He blinked at her owlishly. “And you always snatch. It’s never a good sign if a man-eating sea monster has to teach you etiquette.”

“Technically you’re the one whose rude for a) reading my diary, and b) defacing my diaries.” She grinned, book in hand. “What are you even writing anyway?”

She opened the journal, and it took her breath away.

A 3-masted ship upon a sun-drenched sea had been rendered in ink with meticulous detail within the margin of the small journal. Every rope was present, and in the sky above, fork-tailed birds wheeled in the air currents. At the bow, there was a small figure with a short ponytail.

She gawked at it for a full minute.

“You…you drew this?”

Nathaniel gave the slightest of nods.

Chloe flicked to the beginning of the journal to ensure she would not miss a single picture.

Around the first entry he had sketched in the margin a thin slice of scudding clouds watched by a huge full moon that appeared pearlescent in its skilful shading. The next artwork was on an entry for a wonderful Saturday in port. He had drawn a narrow street, the sun glinting off the domed roof of a synagogue. She flicked through the book. The merman was clearly skilled. Drowned souls, glittering jewellery and dancing women adorned the journal. One entry in particular caught her eye. It was of a particularly enjoyable night on the town with a particularly pleasant gentleman, and an experience she knew didn't technically belong in a ship's journal, but had described in lascivious detail anyway.

In the margins there scrolled a detailed rope, around which doodles of dicks had been drawn. Not even well drawn dicks, just the blobby kind you found carved in inappropriate places around the town.

Chloe gave a genuine laugh.

Oh well. It seemed that men of every species were the same.

Nathaniel gave an abashed grin.

“That entry was certainly some…ah…interesting reading,” he said. “And that’s coming from someone who hangs out with sirens.”

“I wouldn’t have used them as paperweights if I had known you could read,” Chloe admitted, though she didn’t care if he had read her…escapades… “Though I suppose it makes sense if you were a cartographer.” she flicked though the pages to the end of the book, “You’re actually pretty good.” Nathaniel blushed.

“I’m a bit out of practice to be honest. But I guess if being stuck in a bathtub on a pirate ship is going to have any perks, the chance to draw again may as well be it.”

Chloe cautiously picked up the green bound logbook that he had been drawing in as she came in. Nathaniel inclined his head with a small smile, replying her silent request to look in the book. It was one of her older logbooks. Flicking to the back, the pages were yellowed and crisped, and the cheap ink had faded to illegibility. She closed the book again to start from the beginning.

The first page was a full-page sketch of a small synagogue framed by trees and graceful buildings in an eastern European style. The architecture had been rendered with a sense of reverence, and the quiet urban surroundings lent a sense of peace.

Then a page of mermaids. A middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun stared out of the page, her hands twisting in the tattered remains of a wedding dress. Another sleeping peacefully beneath the waves, long twintails floating like exotic seaweed. Then a young woman wearing nothing but a rapier belted around her waist and an over-sized ring, and then again with her face against the crook of the neck of a sailor for whom no face had been drawn. Their hair drifted in the water. Chloe shivered.

And then.

A page of drawings of her.

Her leaning over her map table, her with rapier in hand, her with her hair loose in a silk nightgown, even a lone sketch of the gold bangle she wore. Graceful in light trousers and honey yellow admiral’s long coat, her seven-winds charm seemingly larger than life.

She frowned.

There was something wrong with the pictures. She was beautiful, yes, the poses were perfectly rendered, yes, but somehow it lacked something that the other possessed. The magical chill of the full moon, the soft glow over a synagogue, hell even the joyfully malicious glint to the mermaids.

She did not have anything.

She would have liked to have blamed it on bad artistry, but really she was not that sure.

She flipped to the next page.

The page was filled with careful sketches of a young man, his dark hair pulled back in a fluffy short ponytail from which strands had escaped to frame large, almost feminine eyes. His fine figure was cut against the ocean as he laughed, him sleeping bare-chested in a hammock, his hands clutching a seafarer’s charm.

 “The seafarer’s charm.” Her fingers traced the page, “I didn’t realise your lover was male.”

The merman sank lower in the water, restlessly flicking his tail.

“Think what you want. I have already been killed once for loving him, and him me.” He stated softly.

Chloe closed the book and handed it back to him.

“The thing about being a pirate,” she stated contemplatively, “Is that you don’t have to follow the rules society sets…”

“…Like not killing other humans…” Nathaniel muttered.

“Not what I was going for, though I would argue that humans are generally a bloodthirsty bunch, not just pirates.” Chloe coughed dramatically and resumed her completive tone. “What I mean is, just look at me. A woman on a ship. The captain on a ship no less.” She gestured to herself, “The fact that I wear trousers alone would be enough to get me kicked out of high society.” She leaned against her map table. “Though the fact that I drink to much probably doesn’t help,” she added as an afterthought. “And I tend to get handsy when I’m drunk. Men don’t like a bold woman. Woman however…” Chloe gave a sly half smile, “…well let’s just say the wind blows both ways on my ship.”

Nathaniel’s eyes widened slightly, and he gave a little half-smile far more innocent than her’s.

“Wind blows both ways. I like that.” He muttered softly.

“I am also 90% sure my first mate and ships doctor are also banging each other, but that is none of my concern. What I am trying to say is that I won’t kill you for enjoying the finer sins in life.”

Nathaniel was silent for a moment.

When he spoke his voice was small and clear.

“You are going to kill me though.” A single drop of water wove its way down a strand of hair and plinked into the tub. “You are going to sell me to venom dealers, who are generally unsavoury even to their fellow man. Merpeople do not do well in captivity.” His voice dropped even lower “I have lived for 119 years, and though becoming a bloodthirsty sea monster was hardly the pipedream of a young nautical cartographer, I have made the best of my time beneath the waves.” His azure eyes were like shards of sky in her heart. “And now I am here.”

A long moment of silence stretched between them, and Chloe felt herself teetering on the edge of some great emotional realisation. For a moment she had almost forgotten that he wasn’t human. Forgot that he was her prisoner.

And it was true, she was still going to sell him to venom dealers. At the end of the day, not only was it a profitable venture, but the feat would make her one of the most feared individuals in the area. She would have the respect of her crew, and other ships would be more likely to bend to them and ultimately save many bloody battles. And maybe good people do not sell sea monsters. But as her life motto stated, be memorable; if you cannot get them to love you, make them fear you instead. Be memorable and show no weakness. And letting an expensive commodity go because they were that bit too human would be the ultimate sign of weakness. She couldn’t allow herself this. Even if she yearned to, even if her gut was twisting at his words, right here and now, a desperate call to her long-lost empathy.

A knock at the door shattered the silence.

Nathaniel submerged himself as Sabrina nervously popped her head around the door.

 “Captain, I am sorry to disturb, but there is a matter that requires your attention.”

The moment had passed.

***

By the time she had returned from dealing with ship matters, Nathaniel was silent and submerged in his tub. Peeking over, she saw he had his hands over his eyes as if to block out the world.

She left him to it.

The merman made no noise that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curse Nathanial for ruining the epic gay vibe by reminding us that he is currently in unwanted captivity!  
> #trigger warning  
> The problem for Nathaniel is that there is no reprieve; most other dark fics are either really short or give their characters a break to get comforted and become closer too friends. Nathanial can’t. He is literally trapped. This is his whole reality. And Chloe is lost in herself, she has no one to talk through her feelings to realise and grow from this situation.  
> And I think that is what makes it so bad; some people can’t go home, can’t go to friends. They are just trapped.


	9. A hunger ~fourth morning and evening

Chole woke up well rested for the first time since Nathaniel had come on board. The merman had been uncharacteristically quiet last night. Not that she wasn’t happy for the good night’s rest.

She changed quickly behind the screen, before slipping out to check on Nathaniel.

Instead of submerging his upper body as he usually did, Nathaniel was propped up in the corner of the basin with his head and upper chest out of the water. His skin had a faint lilac tinge to it, and his eyes were closed. His hands, constantly turning over the seafarer’s charm, were the only sign that he was actually awake.

“You look sick.”

Nathaniel’s tail flicked listlessly, and he opened his eyes just wide enough for a sliver of cerulean to be seen.

He gave a small snort of laughter at her statement.

“I am starving,” he stated softly. “I only came to the surface because I had to feed. And then I used a lot of energy glamouring your crew to try get them to release me.” He sank down further into the water, “I have waited too long.”

A tingling anxiety spread though her body, surprising even herself. Over the past few days he had seemed… almost human. But the fact that he consumed human blood would always be a chilling reminder that he was, unavoidably, a monster by his very nature. It was a side that scared her, that would scare anyone, and she wanted to push it away.

“Sleep then. It will conserve your energy.” she retorted, trying to put a hard edge in her voice. He was a sea monster, a dangerous species whose kind had killed more humans than Chloe had met in her life. Not that you would imagine it from the sluggish specimen in front of her.

Nathaniel huffed again in response, submerging his head completely.

Chloe took it as her cue to leave.

***

By the time the evening came around, the Nathaniel looked even worse. The lilac tinge of his skin had deepened, and blue veins cobwebbed around his eyes. His eyes flickered open briefly to acknowledge her, before shutting again. Even his hands had ceased their constant worrying of his lucky charm.

“Two days until port,” she said softly. “You have deteriorated very quickly.”

Nathaniel grimaced, but did not reply.

Gently, she reached over to push his dry hair out of his eyes.

“Don’t touch me,” he murmured.

She leaned back to perch on the edge of his tub, right by where his massive fin hung from the cramped space.

“So, if you were to drink human blood, would it have to be straight from the person, or could you, like, put it in a glass or something?”

Nathaniel cracked open a eye, regarding her for a long moment.

“Don’t tease me.” he stated flatly.

“I’m not.”

Nathaniel’s eyes widened slightly, but he tried to hide his reaction.

“Straight from the person is best. Blood coagulates and loses its soul pretty quickly and requires a decent sized wound to…ah…acquire it.” Nathaniel licked his lips nervously. “Straight from the person gives the most life force, and our teeth are kinda…specialised. We also have venom that will reduce the pain and heal the wound, but it also makes people a bit…drowsy.”

“Drowsy is fine. Carry on.”

Nathaniel closed his eyes so she would not see the hunger within them.

“And I would only take a pint. A good night’s rest and you wouldn’t even notice I had done anything.” He tried to keep his voice steady, “I have never killed anyone I have fed off. And even if I did want to drain you, I know your crew would just kill me as soon as they found out.”

“Where?”

“Pardon?” Nathaniel blinked blearily at her.

“Where would you bite?”

“Oh…mmm…” he tossed his head distractedly, the short conversation obviously wearing him out, “Usually neck or inner thigh, but the wrist would probably be best for a willing participant.”

“Wrist it is then.” Chloe hopped down from the tub and removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeve.

“Right now?”

“Well you are going to die if I don’t right? And this would be too weird to explain to my first mate.” Too weird to tell any of her crew that over the past few days the sea monster had somehow become that little bit too human. She drew her dagger, passing it to her left hand. “And either you stop when I tell you, or you get stabbed.” Stepping forwards, she thrust her right arm towards him without hesitation. Hesitation would be a sign of weakness.

He reached hesitantly out with both hands to take the proffered wrist, his long fingers trembling with hunger and anticipation. He gently turned her hand so the inside of her wrist would be at the right angle and Chloe perched on the edge of the tub to accommodate the new position.

She felt his hot breath tickle her wrist, and she steeled herself for the bite. Under her veneer of calm, she could feel her pulse running wild, and knew he could feel it too. His lips brushed her wrist, smooth enamel lightly searching for her pulse. She suppressed an involuntary shudder of anticipation.

He bit down, and Chloe gasped.

The pain was there for only a moment before being replaced with a warm glow that spread up her arm. She felt him sigh against her wrist. It was strange, almost like she had drank too much of Ivan’s homebrew, but somehow invoking the most profound peace. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the feeling, try to analyse the components, but fog swirled in her brain. It must be the mer venom that Nathaniel had mentioned, though he had sold himself short by saying it made people feel ‘drowsy’. She felt amazing. Drowsy as well, but mostly amazing. Dimly, she was aware of the sucking pressure on her wrist and his tongue flicking against her pulse. She cracked open her eyes to look down, and saw Nathaniel drinking her blood, his own eyes closed in bliss as he lapped at her arm.

Faintly, Chloe realised what a stupid idea it had been to let the merman feed from her, never mind doing it alone in her quarters. She absently wondered if he was going to kill her. She knew she would in his place: trapped, starved, and waiting to be sold. She idly thought for a moment, if maybe she was a bad person for still wanting to sell the merman. Would it really be that much of a loss to her reputation? She pushed the notion away to deal with later, as she did with so many moral dilemmas in her life. She supposed Nathaniel did seem like a reasonably nice person most of the time. She opened her eyes and the room was spinning, red hair blurring into water. Maybe not such a nice person right now.

She should tell him to stop.

“…’top,” she mumbled, a pathetic attempt even to her own ears.

Oh well, this wasn’t so bad she supposed. The venom made everything beautifully tingly.

She tried to poke him with the dagger in her left hand, but it slipped from her grasp, landing with a clatter on the floor.

Far away, she felt the teeth unlatch from her arm, and heard Nathaniel’s worried voice.

“Chloe, are you alright?” His voice came as though underwater. She blinked blearily at him.

“You…I…” what had he asked again? She looked at his concerned face. He was concerned for her? That would be too weird. He’s staring. Say something. “I like your hair. It’s like a tomato,” she blurted.

He gave her a funny look. Blood ran down the wrist he was still holding, and he gave it one last lick, the puncture wounds from his teeth closing up.

“Are you alright?” he repeated “I only took a three-quarters of a pint I swear!” He steadied Chloe as she swayed on the rim of the tub. “…You should go to bed… can you walk to bed?”

Chloe smiled drunkenly at him.

“Sure. Bed. Walk. I can do that.” It was a good sentence. She was proud of that sentence.

He was still holding onto her wrist as she stood, swaying.

“Ok, now I am going to let go, and you are going to walk to your bed ok?”

“Aye aye captain!” and she laughed. That was funny. She turned to Nathaniel to see if he found it funny. He did not, so it seemed. She leaned over the edge of the tub to look at his face properly. His eyes were very blue. She had noticed this before, but they were much nicer now, not creased with hate or fear. She leaned in closer.

“Chloe!” Nathaniel exclaimed, and she found herself lying on something warm and wet. Water soaked through her trousers. Oh. The warm thing was Nathaniel. The merman wiggled ineffectually beneath her, before giving up, still exhausted. The world was still spinning as she leaned back against him, the top of her head pressed against his chin as the pair sat upright in the tub of seawater. The cruel Captain Bourgeois, high off her face, and her captive merman, vampire of the sea. The entire situation was hilarious in its absurdity.

Before her, she could swear that she could see the seven winds spreading forth from her skin, only to be arrested by the walls of the tub. But right now she did not mind the enclosing walls and lap of water so much.

Cautiously, his arms snaked around her. It felt kinda nice, to be embraced from behind. She let out the smallest of sighs.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Your sword is digging into me.”

 “Isn’t that meant to be my line?” Chloe giggled, “I even got you a drink. It has been a while since I have been on top of a beautiful man.”

Nathaniel huffed quietly, fingers fiddling with the buckle of her sword belt before lowering her rapier out of the tub.

She trailed her fingers along the scales peeking out of the bottom of his kilt. She wondered what was under the kilt; would his tail start gradually, with sapphire scales embedded in human skin, or all at once, a solid line of blue against alabaster. Her fingers trailed higher, pushing the dusky orange fabric up.

Nathaniel caught her hands in his own, gently but firmly returning them to safer ground.

The buzz from the venom was fading now, and exhaustion dragged at her, the weight of the world returning to her shoulders.

“Sorry,” Chloe said quietly.

“I think the venom must have been much stronger than normal. I forgot it is more potent under…uh…food stressed conditions.”

“That’s not what I am saying sorry for.”

She felt Nathaniel stiffen.

“Oh.” The end of his tail flicked, “You have done innumerable bad things to me at this point I don’t even know what you are referring to.”

There was no good reply to that.

Instead, Chloe just laid her head against his chest, and let his breathing lull her to sleep.

With Chloe asleep on his chest, Nathaniel finally let out a long-suffering sigh. She was lighter than he’d expected, but still constricted his movement in the already cramped tub.

Aside from that, he felt the best he had in days. Her blood hummed though his veins, easing his aching body, and already his skin was losing the sickly violet tint. Not only that, but he could probably manage one hell of a glamour if needed. His fingers brushed the seven-winds charm around her neck ponderously. If he was to take it off he could glamour her and…

No. It was safer to wait now for the full moon.

He let his head loll back to the corner of the tub. The scent of her was everywhere around him, and he could hear the soft sound of her breath. He knew he wouldn’t sleep like this, couldn’t sleep while the water was filled with the scent of her. He closed his eyes and inhaled.

He hoped she didn’t kill him in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah actually this whole scene makes me uncomfortable, with vampiric sensuality and getting supernaturally high all rooted in Nathanial’s slow starvation.  
> (but I love it)  
> ?
> 
> P.s. Alternate name of this chapter is two sea monsters one tub.


	10. In anger ~fifth morning

Chloe woke slowly.

The first thing she registered was a pair of muscular arms wrapped softly around her waist, and sleepy breathing in her ear.

Then she registered that she was sitting in a pool of water.

Her eyes shot open.

“Mornin’ Chloe,” Nathaniel’s voice sounded sheepish in her ear.

Chloe jolted into movement, scrabbling out of the tub, all grace being lost in her haste. Nathaniel gave a grunt of pain as she trod on his tail.

Finally she tipped herself over the rim and stumbled to her feet, grasping for her rapier only to find it gone.

“What the unholy fuck happened last night?” her voice was low and dangerous.

Nathaniel put a hand behind his head and gave a nervous laugh equal parts embarrassment and anxiety.

“I think my venom was stronger than it usually is because I hadn’t eaten in so long,” Chloe’s eyes bored into him and he winced, “I didn’t even realise how far gone you were till you tried to stab me. Then you fell in the bathtub.”

She had spent the night in the arms of a sea monster. Fear and embarrassment bubbled up in Chloe’s heart, and she willed it to turn into anger.

“How could you have let this happen?” She growled out, “You should have known, God damn it, It’s your own damn body, how can you not know that your venom would get stronger?!”

“How was I supposed to know?” Nathaniel’s tone was indignant with an edge of hurt, “I was on the verge of shutting down last night, I was literally starving, and it is not like I have ever had the reason to go this long without feeding before.” He cocked his head and a note of anger rose in his voice, “Do you know how much self-control it took to stop when I did?”

“Not enough.” She hissed.

She felt out of her depth, had ever since she had started to see him as human. Damn emotions always muddying the water. She darted forwards to sweep up her rapier from the floor, and the merman flinched backwards.

Her next words slid past her cowardly heart, oiled in their own poison.

 “Kim was right. We should have killed you the very first day.”

Nathaniel’s eyes were as deep as the sea as he regarded her.

His voice was so very quiet, almost lost beneath the soft disappointment.

“After everything you have learned about me, do you still truly believe that I am a sea monster? Every day you have pushed and prodded and I have taken it, and this one thing makes me evil? This little thing that has occurred due to you confiscating not only my freedom, but also preventing me from getting what I require to live. I have not slept in 5 days. I have been trapped in this tub where I can barely move. And yet you have given me tools with which to draw, and eventually the blood I need to persist. And so I wondered if perhaps there was some human in you. Some part of you not consumed by some drive to some convoluted glory that I don’t think you will ever attain, and if you were to, would not bring you happiness.” Nathaniel was leaning forwards now, and the water sloshed as his tail quivered with anger. “When you were in my arms last night I could have made you do anything. I could have glamoured you, and I could have glamoured you last night, to make you free me. But I didn’t.” 

She didn’t want to listen, didn’t want to look at Nathaniel.

“But you didn't. You didn't because you are weak and pathetic. Don't pretend it is compassion or any of that human bullshit.” She gestured wildly with her sheathed rapier. “You are the biggest disappointment of a sea monster to have ever got his vampiric ass hauled up onto a pirate ship.”

“Shut up Chloe, we both know who the monster is here.” There was a sneer on Nathaniel’s usually placid features. “There’s a difference between bending for no one and being a stubborn, uncompromising bitch whose head is stuck so far up her own ass she could probably rip out her own cold lonely heart with her teeth.”

There was a beat of stunned silence.

Her head was spinning and the air seemed too thin to support her heaving lungs. Again and again the same thought in her head; this was not how it was supposed to go, she was always meant to have a comfortable ending. She was the woman no one could tame, the pirate Bourgeois, forever fearsome and free from both societal constraints and morals. But here she was, soaked to the skin and totally and terrifyingly entrenched within the man before her.

And she had to end it.

Because at the end of the day she was a coward.

“Whatever. We make port tomorrow morning, and then you will be gone.” she hissed, stomping from the room.

She slammed the door shut and locked it, before slumping heavily against its worn surface.

A book hit the door behind her.

The very air seemed heavy on her limbs.

She unsheathed her rapier. Checking along its length of cold silver, she noted that its time in the tub of seawater had had no effect on the brightness of the metal.

And yet the air still choked in her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp.  
> That could have gone better.


	11. The end ~ fifth evening

 

 

The full moon streamed through the windows of Chloe’s cabin.

Nathaniel felt every ounce of his body straining towards that magical light, the moon that called to the sea within him.

He knew that she would be busy preparing the ship for port. It was for the best really.

He was sad for her. They had come so close to an understanding, only for it to shatter in their hands.

Carefully, he leaned up out of the water, balancing on the rim of the tub. The water ran off his scales in thin streams as he squeezed the moisture from his kilt. Quietly as he could manage he flicked his tail clear of the tub before letting his body softly slide to the floor. Laboriously dragging his heavy tail behind him, he wriggled across the wooden floor of the cabin where a thin band of moonlight hit the floorboards.

Manoeuvring his tail into the blessed light, Nathaniel hummed with bliss. Dipping his fingers in the nearby ink-well, he drew a crescent moon symbol onto his scales; a Slavic Lunula symbol of power and strength. But for Nathaniel, the moon was something more than that.

It was the magic of transformation. And tonight, tonight it was his freedom.

He remembered the full moon on the night he died. All mer died on the full moon, their legs twisting to tails.

“Oh moon, sweet mother,” he whispered, “Restore to me what was lost that night, so that I can once more return to the land of my love.”

Warmth spread thorough his scales, and his skin tingled and split.

Seconds later, a pair of human legs replaced his long sapphire tail. Grasping the edge of Chloe’s map table, Nathaniel stood shakily. He quickly crossed the room, grabbing the dagger that had been confiscated.

He placed his notebook of drawings down on her map table. It was a shame he couldn’t take it with him, but he hoped it would remind her of their time together.

He did believe she could become a better person.

He supposed that’s what came of being stuck in a bathtub with literally no way to escape.

The thing about monsters is, the more time you spend around them, the more human they seem. He saw her, lying in his arms, standing at her map table, and she was enveloped with a loneliness that made him want to reach out to her. But the image was still at odds with her casual cruelty, withholding his lover’s charm, the prods with the rapier. He was never sure that she wasn’t a monster.

Either way, she was no longer his concern.

She had never been safe for him to be around.

Without sparing another glance at the room he had been prisoner for a long week, he unlocked the door and exited Chloe’s cabin.

The narrow ship corridors were empty as the crew readied the ship for port, and Nathaniel navigated them quickly, legs slowly becoming steady beneath him. Finally, the last corridor stretched ahead, a square of the silvery deck illuminated in the moonlight. Behind him, a door opened and Kim stepped out, only to double take when he saw Nathaniel.

“What the…” Kim started, but was abruptly cut off as Nathaniel’s fist slammed into his face. He gave a shout as the merman took off again down the corridor as fast as his new legs would carry him. Nathaniel’s lungs burned and a haze of panic blurred his vision.

Max stepped from the deck into the corridor, yelping in surprise as Nathaniel barrelled into him, knocking him to the ground.

Nathaniel’s skin practically glowed silver under the light of the full moon, his feet pounding on the deck. Around him the sailors burst into movement, but he kept running. 20 foot, 12 foot from the edge,

6 foot.

He could hear Chloe shout.

3 foot.

And he leapt, one foot on the banister to launch himself into the air.

He had made it.

He seemed to hang for a moment, framed against the full moon, human legs splayed before plummeting downwards in a perfect dive.

His tail reformed, the scales glittering in the moonlight, finally out of the cramped tub.

The water enveloped him.

He was free.

 

 

High up on the boat, the feared Captain Bourgeois leaned against the ship railing, staring at the dark water below. The red head of the merman did not re-emerge from the waves. Nathaniel did not look back.

She smiled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. The end. This may have had many of the hallmarks of a slow burn enemies to lovers mermaid AU, but this ending where Nath fucks off without looking back is what I always intended to write.  
> Seriously though. Chloe is a bitch throughout the story, even if it is just a front to emotionally protect herself. And Nathaniel is her prisoner. Yeah things get better between them, but it is hardly the grounds for a healthy relationship, and in the end Chloe knows it. Nathanial can’t fix Chloe with his love, no one can but her.  
> But yeah I love fanfic because people go in with certain expectations. And then I let them down. It's not that I hate romance, it's just that I am a cynical ginger bitch whose soul has died.  
> Please let me know what you thought in the comments!
> 
> sorry for not uploading on time, i was really ill yesterday. (also homeless for 48 hours, but hey.)
> 
> MerNath and pirate!Chloe will return for cloeNath week on june 16th


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